Neil Grantham

Head of Insight
Tennis, Rugby Union, Playing drums (and the flute!!), People watching, Good conversation, Having a laugh, Friends, Family, A good red, A crisp white, A good pint, Architecture, Fast cars and driving, Marmite on toast, Shorts.

News & Twitter

We found this whilst strolling around the interweb. What we found interesting is that whilst price is the key reason for showrooming, there are other Read More

We found this whilst strolling around the interweb. What we found interesting is that whilst price is the key reason for showrooming, there are other factors that the retail is in control of, which will help to limit the scale of showrooming in their store.

Whilst the era of bus stops, wobblers and other beloved items of printed point of sale may still yet have some legs, we are seeing Read More

Whilst the era of bus stops, wobblers and other beloved items of printed point of sale may still yet have some legs, we are seeing a significant increase in clients – manufacturers and retailers – requiring tech driven point of sale solutions. It seems that retail clients are finally coming to terms with the need to embrace an omnichannel approach and to find ways of properly integrating a digital experience into the shopping process. Not all technology will increase sales of course but it is worth remembering the role it can also play in building equity, differentiation and ultimately brand preference.

I’m not sure how I feel about the recent slip-up by Starbucks, when one of their employees wrote “Vagina” instead of Virginia on the cup. Read More

I’m not sure how I feel about the recent slip-up by Starbucks, when one of their employees wrote “Vagina” instead of Virginia on the cup. On the one hand, I feel like I should applaud the fact that Starbucks personalise the customer experience in-store. On the other, it does highlight the errors you leave yourself open to whenever humans get involved.

Should I have laughed – no. Did I laugh – yes. Sorry Virginia – I hope you get a year’s free coffee for your troubles and in turn you become a Starbucks Brand ambassador!

Its not just the Howell Penny techies that are enamoured of the fantastic streaming technology from Spritzinc, that threatens to revolutionise the way we read. Read More

Its not just the Howell Penny techies that are enamoured of the fantastic streaming technology from Spritzinc, that threatens to revolutionise the way we read. This clever little app allows readers to consume words at a rate way in excess of normal reading speeds. Also strikes us as marketers, that it is a great way to allow on-line shoppers to read the things they generally tend to shy away from, like small print for example. And on mobile devices it will allow web designers to serve more text within responsive design, avoiding too much scrolling and pinching.

As a creative agency who run a multitude of email campaigns on a daily basis for our clients, my first reaction was one of joy, Read More

As a creative agency who run a multitude of email campaigns on a daily basis for our clients, my first reaction was one of joy, on hearing that Gmail were making it much easier to unsubscribe from an email through the introduction of a prominent unsubscribe button next to the senders name.

On a personal level, I hate the amount of time and effort it takes to unsubscribe from emails that you never knowingly asked to receive. I always end up being frightened that the unsubscribe link hidden at the bottom of the email (if at all) that I have to press is actually a virus just waiting to be unleashed on my computer.

At a creative level, I think this will help advertisers improve their game in terms of the timing and relevance of their emails. Those that pass the test will be read, those that do not, will forever be confined to Room 101.

A new study by Deloitte commissioned by eBay has found that while 31 per cent of shoppers visit the store prior to making a purchase Read More

A new study by Deloitte commissioned by eBay has found that while 31 per cent of shoppers visit the store prior to making a purchase online, generally referred to as ‘showrooming’, more people (34 per cent) research online and then complete the purchase in store, or ‘reverse showrooming’. People who browse across different mobile devices and make use of on-to-offline services are 30 per cent more likely to do research online before committing to a purchase but the value of these purchases can be up to 50 per cent more than if done through a single channel, according to a new study by Deloitte commissioned by eBay. Dubbed ‘Super Shoppers’ they are the 18 per cent of people who shop most frequently but who accounted for 70 per cent of total UK retail sales in 2013.

As an agency, we try to get out for a pizza on a Friday. Admittedly it doesn’t happen much, as client work comes first, but Read More

As an agency, we try to get out for a pizza on a Friday. Admittedly it doesn’t happen much, as client work comes first, but when it does happen, something remarkable takes place.

We all pitch up to our favourite Italian around the corner, and the first thing that happens is at least 3 members of the team get out a discount coupon for money off our meal.

For some, they’ve printed it out on a sheet of paper, but the majority simply have it on their smart phone and show it to the waiter or waitress before we even look at the menu.

This is now common place for bars and restaurants, but in reality it will soon be coming to every store near you!

In a recent shopper mobile survey, 38% of respondents said they were ‘extremely likely’ to use digital coupons in the future – but very few could actually confirm if their favourite stores had an app or not.

And this is the real dilemma. After 24 months of everyone going app crazy, retailers have now woken up to the fact that the app they build needs to play an active part in the shopper’s buying experience.

It’s not enough to simply represent information to the viewer, it needs to have live and compelling content. If you build an app, people won’t just magically show up. It has to be integrated into the entire shopper experience and there have to be rewards and benefits for shoppers!

Unless you’ve been asleep for the past 12 months, the term shopper marketing will not have escaped your notice. But what is it? Put simply, Read More

Unless you’ve been asleep for the past 12 months, the term shopper marketing will not have escaped your notice. But what is it?

Put simply, “customers use, shoppers buy”.

It is founded on delivering the right message at the right time and place through a deep understanding of a shoppers’ profile, the media channels they use and the different shopper missions they undertake once on their path to purchase.

And just in case you find yourself in the USA in the next few months, don’t forget they have a different definition of Shopper Marketing. They think of it as the ‘last yard’, i.e. marketing at the point of purchase, be that online or in-store, whereas in the UK we regard it as marketing throughout the entire path to purchase, or as we put it, from the ‘sofa to the sale’.

So there you have it. Shopper Marketing is simple. The difficult bit is doing it. That’s why we are here!

Recent studies have revealed that just a one second delay in page load times can reduce customer sales by a whopping 7%. In this world Read More

Recent studies have revealed that just a one second delay in page load times can reduce customer sales by a whopping 7%.

In this world where none of us have enough time to cram everything we need to do, mixed with our impatience to have everything immediately, page load times are a crucial element that all retailers need to address.

Page load times also impact your overall SEO ranking as Google loves not only relevancy, but speed as well.

So next time you get told that your website seems slow, remember that a 1 second delay can result in 11% fewer page views! a 16% decrease in customer satisfaction and a 7% loss in sales. (Data from Aberdeen Group)

As a first step, check out your Google Analytics and review the Speed Suggestion Report. It gives you tips on your page load speed and tips on how to speed it up.

And if you want a more in depth analysis and solution – give us a shout.

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@howellpenny Exciting account exec role to support some key accounts. Want to appoint next week. Mkting degree or experience? Get in touch ASAPWe are a retail & shopper marketing agency, who help retailers & brands sell more through insight, great ideas & multichannel delivery

@howellpenny Exciting account exec role to support some key accounts. Want to appoint next week. Mkting degree or experience? Get in touch ASAPWe are a retail & shopper marketing agency, who help retailers & brands sell more through insight, great ideas & multichannel delivery